“He almost fucking killed her! She was in a goddamn coma!”
I hit ignore.
“Lead the fuckin’ way, sweetheart.”
<>Briggs<>
Alejandro Martinez.
I never understood the importance of a name. It wasn’t until after that night three months ago that I learned that names carry a heavy load.
The connotation behind a name, and not just any name…
My name.
Martinez.
“Damn! I love your hair,” the girl behind the counter all but screamed as I walked into the tattoo shop. “How did you get such a vibrant purple? Oh my God! I would kill for that!”
I ignored her compliment and looked around the room, stopping when I spotted the guy in the back corner covered in tattoos. When he felt my gaze on him, he peered up and we locked eyes. I internally smiled.
I recognized those eyes.
I walked toward him, never breaking our connection. The tattoo business card that I found on my uncle’s desk safely hidden in my pocket.
If you wanted to know the truth about someone…
The secrets that lurk in their dark corners.
What they’re feeling… what they want… what they need…
The depths of their soul.
Just look them in the eyes.
They never fucking lie.
I handed him the piece of paper that I had clutched in my tight grasp. He took it from me and looked it over, jerking his neck back with a fascinated regard.
“You want this tattooed?” he asked. His gaze still intently placed on the drawing in his hand.
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“From the nook of my neck, down the center of my back, stopping in the middle.” I pointed to the sketch. “These I want on each of my shoulder blades, cascading down the sides of my entire back.”
He shook his head, mockingly. “Sweetie, this is an intricate tattoo. The detailed outline will take several hours, not to mention several sessions to do the color and shading. The pain alone can be unbearable.” He handed me back my drawing. “How about just a butterfly or something?”
I cocked my head to the side and narrowed my eyes at him. “I got nothing but time, sweetie.”
He arched an eyebrow. “How old are you?”
“Old enough.”
“Oh yeah?” He nodded at me. “Let me see your ID.”
“Alejandro Martinez is my ID.”
His eyes widened, it was quick but I saw it. I knew he would recognize the name, having an appearance of a man who was just released from prison.
“And trust me, he won’t give a fuck,” I added.
He stood up and gestured toward the chair in front of him. I sat down, waiting for him to get suited up. It didn’t take long for him to have everything ready. Pulling over the curtain to give us some privacy, he laid down the table and patted it.
“You can change in the bathroom. I have a smock in there you can use, just leave the opening in the back.”
I smiled, grabbing the hem of my shirt.
“I'm not shy, I don't need the bathroom. Be a gentleman and turn around.”
He smiled back at me, spinning the chair that he was sitting in. I threw my shirt and bra on the counter and laid face down on the table. I heard his movements and the sliding of his chair on the tile floor. I felt his warm hands, rubbing alcohol all over my back.
“This your first tattoo, little girl?”
“I don’t know, is it yours, big boy?”
He softly laughed behind me. The vibration causing my back to stir.
“You sure about this? Once the needle hits your skin. There’s no going back.”
I looked at his reflection through the mirror to my right and then back at my own reflection and said, “There’s no going back for me. Only forward.”
Chapter 11
<>Austin<>
I got kicked out of the dorms a few months into my sophomore year of college for smoking pot. I was surprised that it took that damn long for the resident advisor to smell it coming out of my room. It was just some damn weed. It comes from the earth for God’s sake. It was already legal in several states.
I didn’t understand why I was getting so much flack for it. The parents on the other hand, lost their shit because of this.
I moved into Dylan and Jacob's apartment, as Lucas happened to be moving back to Oak Island. His mom was diagnosed with stage three-breast cancer, and he’d ended up knocking up some chick.
It took everything inside of me to bite my goddamn tongue, knowing the news nearly killed Alex.
Karma’s a bitch.
We all took the news of his mom getting cancer pretty bad. I was the last one to find out. They waited until I was visiting to sit me down and tell me. It was Lily’s, Lucas’s baby sister, sixteenth birthday. For some fucked up reason they thought that was the best time to tell me. I barely let the news settle before I called up some random friends that night and got shitfaced at The Cove downtown.
The night was full of fucking surprises.